October 9, 2006

It's Columbus Day, when we in the United States commemorate Christopher Columbus' landing in the New World back in 1492.…

October 7, 2006

That's what investors have been asking about the stock market. Although it gave back a little Friday, last week the…

October 5, 2006

This week's Festival of Frugality (noted in this earlier post) also includes my item on whether to rent or buy…

October 4, 2006

Just saw another Tommy Lasorda MLB ad, first mentioned here. Yes, it's Wednesday afternoon and yes, I'm watching the A's…

October 4, 2006

Sure, Toyota and Lexus hybrid buyers are now getting just half the original tax credit for their energy-conscious auto purchases.…

October 3, 2006

Tommy Lasorda, that is. I can't believe I just wrote that. As an Astros fan who had to put up…

October 2, 2006

If you've ever exaggerated your income on a loan application, fugeddaboutit now, especially when that borrowed money is for a…

October 1, 2006

No, I'm not talking about the oft-maligned used-car salesmen. I'm talking about you, me and the guy down the street…

October 1, 2006

When I was a writer and editor at Bankrate.com, one of my areas of responsibility was small business. I quickly…

September 30, 2006

A Brooklyn tax preparer has been getting big federal refunds for his clients by declaring that New York State is…

September 29, 2006

On Sunday, Oct. 1, grocery bills in South Carolina will be a bit smaller. That day, the state's sales tax…

September 27, 2006

As regional real estate bubbles are popping, many folks are reassessing home ownership. That's not necessarily a bad idea. True,…

September 27, 2006

The Tropical Tax Haven Heaven Cruise '06 faux commercial has left the dock! Comedy Central has corrected the glitch in…

September 26, 2006

If you watched the Colbert Report last night, you caught his "commercial" for the 2006 Colbert Cruise. The theme this…

September 22, 2006

While the fighting goes on in the Middle East and politicians and the citizens who elected them debate what moves…

September 21, 2006

Time is rapidly running out for a tax break available to purchasers of fuel-efficient autos produced by Toyota or Lexus.…

September 20, 2006

The federal funds rate, the rate that lenders charge each other on overnight loans, stays at 5.25 percent. That means…

September 20, 2006

At its meeting today, the Federal Open Market Committee is expected to leave the federal funds rate at 5.25 percent.…

September 19, 2006

I'm getting a late start today because I spent the morning at the doctor's office for my annual checkup. There's…

September 17, 2006

My native West Texas is still a wild part of the country. But on my cousin's and my recent trip…

September 16, 2006

In reading the multitude of Ann Richards tributes, I ran across a collection of some of her memorable quotes in…

September 14, 2006

Sorry to interrupt your vacation that started when the kids finally went back to school (love that Staples "most wonderful…

September 14, 2006

Texas lost a bit of its heart and soul Wednesday night with the passing of Ann Richards. Intelligent, insightful and…

September 13, 2006

That's the order from a group of  U.S. Senators to the IRS regarding the agency's use of private debt collectors…

September 13, 2006

... title an inherited IRA or get an emergency fund going or even find the right dog for you and…

September 12, 2006

My cousin Kathy and I pulled into the exurban edge of West Austin around 8 p.m. last night. We would…

September 11, 2006

Photo by Kay Bell We're in Alpine today, but just for a little while longer. We rolled into this West…

September 11, 2006

Remember Senator Ted Stevens' attempt to kill a bipartisan effort to establish a Web site where we all could easily…

September 10, 2006

Hello from the wilds of West Texas. All is going quite nicely on the trip down memory lane that my…

September 9, 2006

No, my hometown was not named for Kermit the Frog. It's a lot older than the genial green Muppet, named…

September 8, 2006

The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating more than 100 companies suspected of manipulating options awards so that executives got…

September 7, 2006

The big tax collection experiment has begun. The IRS has turned over the accounts of 12,500 delinquent taxpayers to three…

September 6, 2006

Then, how about Kermit and Pecos and Marfa? Yep, the big day, teased earlier here and here, has finally arrived. My…

September 2, 2006

Here's a Labor Day story to warm the heart of every working Jane and Joe out there. Cindy Kienow has…

September 1, 2006

I know you're sitting there at your desk, counting down the hours until the benevolent boss (we all have one…

August 31, 2006

Taxpayers who made long-distance calls in the last 3½ years can expect a refund of between $30 and $60 next…

August 30, 2006

The major consumer product manufacturers want to take away our Sunday cents-off coupons. Technically, the companies' goal, according to a…

August 29, 2006

Jack Bauer is the man to call when the country is just 24 hours away from annihilation by ultimate bad…

August 25, 2006

Albert Einstein once said that the hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax. Now some tax…

August 24, 2006

And I so liked that goofy dog! Sorry, couldn't resist. I'm just using a pitifully poor joke to temper my…